Argument FOR Connectivism (Jan, Jessie, Scott, Allison, Sandra--it is your responsibility to make sure that the Wiki is complete and polished before the due dates)
FOCUS QUESTION
Is Connectivism a learning theory? In his article, "Connectivism: Learning Theory or Pastime of the Self-Amused?", Siemens makes a clear and convincing argument that connectivism is in fact a learning theory. Essentially, citing Mergel’s (1998) citation of Ertmer’s and Newby’s 5 definitive questions to distinguish learning theory, the questions include: How does learning occur? What factors influence learning? What is the role of memory? How does transfer occur? What types of learning are best explained by this theory? In the chart below, Siemens compares the answers to these questions as they relate to the three other learning theories, namely, Behaviourism, Cognitivisn and Constructivism.
Is Connectivism relevant to our teaching practice?
In their arcticle "The Adventures of Miranda in the Brave New World: Learning in a Web 2.0 Millenium," Cameron Barnes and Beinda Tynan of the University of New England, Australia make the case for connectivism being a valid theoretical framework for today's informational technological world. They argue that because connectivism sees the teacher's role as a mediator of learning, rather than the deliverer of some fixed body of content/knowledge, it more closely matches the Web 2.0 students of today who want "to engage equally in description, explanation, understanding, reflection, and disclosure" (2007). At the college level, increasing non-attendance in lecture classes, higher attrition rates for under-prepared undergraduate students, greater public demand for accountability with regards to persistence in school and graduation skills all call for a shift in how we conceptualize how Web 2.0 students learn best. Barnes and Tynan describe Web 2.0 learners as people who have intertwined personal and educational lives, much prefer learning in a dynamic, active, cooperative, social environment, and are adept at using social technologies such as wikis, blogs, vlogs, RSS, interactive spaces such as Facebook, etc. They also point out that educators are lagging behind by continuing to use lecture formats for teacher-centered delivery of content or using passive Web-based learning modes that are already out of date. In order to attract and retain students, universities will need to provide opportunities for learners to engage with their teachers in a process of harnessing collective intelligence. Ana Maria Marhan of the Institute of Philosophy and Psychology of the Romanian Academy notes that learning is no longer a destination but a process of engaging in an ever changing landscape of information (2006). Access to that information is what is needed in order to tap into those sources of information, discern what information is important, and make decisions in this dynamic information environment.
Does connectivism support our students?
As Siemans and Downes articulate, our students are already living in a connected world and want their learning to be student-centered rather than teacher-centered. Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) allow students to create learning networks to advance their learning, with the teacher acting as the mediator of their learning. Since not all students will know how to design an effective PLE, Nada Dabbagh, Professor and Director of the Division of Learning Technologies in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, suggests that teachers use a three-part framework for guiding students in the creation of their PLEs--assisting them in knowing how to manage personal information, demonstrating and facilitating social interaction and collaboration, and teaching the process of aggregating and managing information. Further, Kevin Stranack, professional librarian with Simon Frasier University in British Columbia, asserts that the concept of Connectivism promotes the idea of "self-directed learning" for students to develop their own personal learning networks (2012). Stranack reflects, "An effective personal knowledge network can provide access to new ideas, innovations, successful experiments, failed results, and if constructed with diversity in mind, contrary opinions that can be cause for reflection, re-consideration, and personal growth" (2012).
Our students live in an age when they will have to be able to operate in these types of social/information/learning networks to function effectively in the workplace as well. In 2010, John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, noted in his publication "The Learning Society" that as a result of globalization and 21st century challenges, workers will need to have critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration abilities to be successful. He argues for a new vision of learning, that learning needs to be conceptualized now as an activity rather than a place, as a process of learners pulling learning toward themselves rather than teachers pushing it to them, and as a cooperative venture among teacher, students, parents and others. According to Kay Strong and Holly Hutchins of the University of Houston, to be successful in the workplace today people need to form networks, locate information that is current, filter out information that is extraneous to the task, and see the big picture--the "connections between fields, ideas, and concepts" (2011). Current learning theories are not adequate for capturing and explaining these new realities and requirements in the workplace. Connectivism does, state Strong and Hutchins, with its emphasis on flexible networks and responsiveness to change (2011).
Are parts of connectivism more compelling or relevant than others?
The most compelling aspect of connectivism is the way it harnesses the learning potential of great minds from across the globe. Never before has the flow of knowledge been so fluid between learning groups. How much faster would the scientific community have developed antibiotics if the scientists around the world could have shared information and research? The greatest potential for advances and the creation of new knowledge exists for those already with formal educations and those that can readily apply basic and advanced knowledge within their given field of study.
Another compelling product of connectivism is that the information and data given by individuals for the group at large to use is never lost. While great minds may have been working on antibiotics they failed to have a network in place that allowed them to share key information. If one of the researchers dies, has a stroke, or is unable to continue with their research their work was lost in the past. Connectivisim solves this hurdle to progress by allowing people to upload and share what they have learned with their peers. After an idea, data, or theory is posted to the group for consideration it is safe from being lost.
Conclusion
As, you can see by the information provided, Connectivism can and should be considered a learning theory. Students have started taking a more active role in their learning and Connectivism takes that into account. With the strengthening of the connections depending on a variety of factors it accounts for learning that takes place in the educational setting and in the 'real' world. The learning theory of connectivism does just as the name suggests...make connections! Information (ideas and concepts) is shared, filtered, connected and expanded upon. As Wong and Oldham share in the presentation above, 'Connectivism is a a new way of organizing the explosion of information'!
REFERENCES
Barnes C., Tynan B. (2007). “The Adventures of Miranda in the brave new world: Learning in a web 2.0 millennium. Research in Learning Technology: The Journal of the Association for Learning Technology, 15 (3). Retrieved from http://researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/10930.
Hutchins, H., Strong, K. "Connectivism: A theory for learning in a world of growing complexity." Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace e-Learning, 1 (1). Retrieved from http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv815.
Home > Group A Workspace > Learning Activity 6-A-1
Argument FOR Connectivism (Jan, Jessie, Scott, Allison, Sandra--it is your responsibility to make sure that the Wiki is complete and polished before the due dates)FOCUS QUESTION
Is Connectivism a learning theory?
In his article, "Connectivism: Learning Theory or Pastime of the Self-Amused?", Siemens makes a clear and convincing argument that connectivism is in fact a learning theory. Essentially, citing Mergel’s (1998) citation of Ertmer’s and Newby’s 5 definitive questions to distinguish learning theory, the questions include:
How does learning occur? What factors influence learning? What is the role of memory? How does transfer occur? What types of learning are best explained by this theory?
In the chart below, Siemens compares the answers to these questions as they relate to the three other learning theories, namely, Behaviourism, Cognitivisn and Constructivism.
What is Connectivism?
Can you connect the Dots??
Is Connectivism relevant to our teaching practice?
In their arcticle "The Adventures of Miranda in the Brave New World: Learning in a Web 2.0 Millenium," Cameron Barnes and Beinda Tynan of the University of New England, Australia make the case for connectivism being a valid theoretical framework for today's informational technological world. They argue that because connectivism sees the teacher's role as a mediator of learning, rather than the deliverer of some fixed body of content/knowledge, it more closely matches the Web 2.0 students of today who want "to engage equally in description, explanation, understanding, reflection, and disclosure" (2007). At the college level, increasing non-attendance in lecture classes, higher attrition rates for under-prepared undergraduate students, greater public demand for accountability with regards to persistence in school and graduation skills all call for a shift in how we conceptualize how Web 2.0 students learn best. Barnes and Tynan describe Web 2.0 learners as people who have intertwined personal and educational lives, much prefer learning in a dynamic, active, cooperative, social environment, and are adept at using social technologies such as wikis, blogs, vlogs, RSS, interactive spaces such as Facebook, etc. They also point out that educators are lagging behind by continuing to use lecture formats for teacher-centered delivery of content or using passive Web-based learning modes that are already out of date. In order to attract and retain students, universities will need to provide opportunities for learners to engage with their teachers in a process of harnessing collective intelligence. Ana Maria Marhan of the Institute of Philosophy and Psychology of the Romanian Academy notes that learning is no longer a destination but a process of engaging in an ever changing landscape of information (2006). Access to that information is what is needed in order to tap into those sources of information, discern what information is important, and make decisions in this dynamic information environment.
Does connectivism support our students?
As Siemans and Downes articulate, our students are already living in a connected world and want their learning to be student-centered rather than teacher-centered. Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) allow students to create learning networks to advance their learning, with the teacher acting as the mediator of their learning. Since not all students will know how to design an effective PLE, Nada Dabbagh, Professor and Director of the Division of Learning Technologies in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, suggests that teachers use a three-part framework for guiding students in the creation of their PLEs--assisting them in knowing how to manage personal information, demonstrating and facilitating social interaction and collaboration, and teaching the process of aggregating and managing information. Further, Kevin Stranack, professional librarian with Simon Frasier University in British Columbia, asserts that the concept of Connectivism promotes the idea of "self-directed learning" for students to develop their own personal learning networks (2012). Stranack reflects, "An effective personal knowledge network can provide access to new ideas, innovations, successful experiments, failed results, and if constructed with diversity in mind, contrary opinions that can be cause for reflection, re-consideration, and personal growth" (2012).
Our students live in an age when they will have to be able to operate in these types of social/information/learning networks to function effectively in the workplace as well. In 2010, John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, noted in his publication "The Learning Society" that as a result of globalization and 21st century challenges, workers will need to have critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration abilities to be successful. He argues for a new vision of learning, that learning needs to be conceptualized now as an activity rather than a place, as a process of learners pulling learning toward themselves rather than teachers pushing it to them, and as a cooperative venture among teacher, students, parents and others. According to Kay Strong and Holly Hutchins of the University of Houston, to be successful in the workplace today people need to form networks, locate information that is current, filter out information that is extraneous to the task, and see the big picture--the "connections between fields, ideas, and concepts" (2011). Current learning theories are not adequate for capturing and explaining these new realities and requirements in the workplace. Connectivism does, state Strong and Hutchins, with its emphasis on flexible networks and responsiveness to change (2011).
Are parts of connectivism more compelling or relevant than others?
The most compelling aspect of connectivism is the way it harnesses the learning potential of great minds from across the globe. Never before has the flow of knowledge been so fluid between learning groups. How much faster would the scientific community have developed antibiotics if the scientists around the world could have shared information and research? The greatest potential for advances and the creation of new knowledge exists for those already with formal educations and those that can readily apply basic and advanced knowledge within their given field of study.
Another compelling product of connectivism is that the information and data given by individuals for the group at large to use is never lost. While great minds may have been working on antibiotics they failed to have a network in place that allowed them to share key information. If one of the researchers dies, has a stroke, or is unable to continue with their research their work was lost in the past. Connectivisim solves this hurdle to progress by allowing people to upload and share what they have learned with their peers. After an idea, data, or theory is posted to the group for consideration it is safe from being lost.
Conclusion
As, you can see by the information provided, Connectivism can and should be considered a learning theory. Students have started taking a more active role in their learning and Connectivism takes that into account. With the strengthening of the connections depending on a variety of factors it accounts for learning that takes place in the educational setting and in the 'real' world. The learning theory of connectivism does just as the name suggests...make connections! Information (ideas and concepts) is shared, filtered, connected and expanded upon. As Wong and Oldham share in the presentation above, 'Connectivism is a a new way of organizing the explosion of information'!REFERENCES
Barnes C., Tynan B. (2007). “The Adventures of Miranda in the brave new world: Learning in a web 2.0 millennium. Research in Learning Technology: The Journal of the Association for Learning Technology, 15 (3). Retrieved from http://researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/10930.
Dabba, N. Personal learning environments: A way to engage students in self-regulated learning. Retrieved from http://blog.cengage.com/?top_blog=personal-learning-environments-a-way-to-engage-students-in-self-regulated-learning.
Hutchins, H., Strong, K. "Connectivism: A theory for learning in a world of growing complexity." Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace e-Learning, 1 (1). Retrieved from http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv815.
Marhan, A-M. (2006). Connectivism: Concepts and principles for emerging learning networks. The First International Conference on Virtual Learning. Retrieved from http://fmi.unibuc.ro/cniv/2006/disc/icvl/documente/pdf/met/19_marhan.pdf
Stranack, K. (2012, August 16). Critical review of connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. [web log comment].
Retrieved from: http://stranack.ca/2012/08/16/critical-review-of-connectivism-a-learning-theory-for-the-digital-age/.
RESOURCE LINKS
http://education-2020.wikispaces.com/Connectivism
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism_self-amused.htm
http://www.connectivism.ca/
http://facultyecommons.org/rethinking-your-online-classroom-with-connectivism/
http://ahansolo.blogspot.com/2012/06/connectivism-in-gifted-classroom.html
http://www.scoop.it/t/connectivism
http://blog.richmond.edu/mtrevett/2011/05/31/making-content-relevant-to-students-using-connectivism/
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=33034
The Learning Society
http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2012/10/theories-for-digital-age-connectivism.html
The Differences Between Instructivism, Constructivism, and Connectivism